The present disclosure relates to a relay conveyance device conveying a sheet from an image forming apparatus to a post processing device.
Conventionally, a relay conveyance device is known to relay and convey a sheet from an image forming apparatus forming an image on the sheet to a post processing device carrying out post-process of the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus.
For example, a conventional ink-jet recording device (the image forming apparatus) includes a drying means drying an ink on a recording medium, a calculating means calculating a printing rate of image data recorded on the recording medium, a deciding means deciding whether or not the printing rate exceeds a standard value, and a driving means driving the drying means when the printing rate exceeds. If the printing rate is low, the ink on the recording medium is naturally dried.
The image forming apparatus, such as the above-mentioned ink-jet recording device dries the ink on the sheet, but cannot restrain curl caused in the sheet. Moreover, if the printing rate is low (an ink amount is small), because natural drying is carried out, it is not possible to shorten an interval time between the sheets. When the sheet is conveyed from such an image forming apparatus to the relay conveyance device, it is feared that malfunction sheet jam occurs due to the curl caused in the sheet. Moreover, when the ink amount is small, because the interval time between the sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus to the relay conveyance device cannot be shortened, it is difficult to shorten the interval time between the sheets conveyed in the relay conveyance device.